Altolamprologus calvus (Poll, 1978)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Altolamprologus calvus, locally known as kaubao, is a cichlid endemic to the southern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa. The species has an extremely laterally compressed body and a high dorsal fin. Males may grow to 13 cm (5 inches), while females are normally smaller.
It is physically similar to its close relative A. compressiceps, though it is less deep-bodied and has a longer snout.
A. calvus is commonly kept as an aquarium fish in setups devoted to East African fish. Several local variants exist. Examples include:
'Black Sambia'
'Black Pectoral'
'Black Zaire'
'Black Kapampa'
'Yellow'
'White'
Wikipedia contributors, Altolamprologus calvus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:58:50.056472+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Altolamprologus calvus (Poll, 1978)
- Name authority
- (Poll, 1978)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cichliformes
- Family
- Cichlidae
- Genus
- Altolamprologus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCichliformes
- familyCichlidae Bonaparte, 1835
- subfamilyPseudocrenilabrinae Fowler, 1934
- genusAltolamprologus Poll, 1986
- speciesAltolamprologus calvus (Poll, 1978)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Altolamprologus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Altolamprologus compressiceps (Boulenger, 1898) | CichlidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lamprologus calvus Poll, 1978 Poll, 1978 | synonym |
| Neolamprologus calvus (Poll, 1978) (Poll, 1978) | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1012644 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:65XTX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.